Wild bird eggs?? help!?

Question

There has been a nest repeatedly used on the side of our house for several years now, im not sure if its the same set of birds each time or not. Currently, it looks to be a black/white chickadee (or something really simliar). We live in upstate NY and my brother checked out the nest while the mother was gone, there are TEN eggs!! 5 all white, 5 white w/brown speckles all over them (all same size). Any ideas? Ive been aware of a species that lays their own eggs in other birds nests, once hatching, the intruding much larger baby birds kick out the original babies, and the mother just continues feeding them as if they were her own. Will 10 babies survive? If not, we are willing to take some out and try to hatch/raise them on our own (we know how it all works), but if 10 will survive with the mother, we would much rather let them be. thanks.

Answer 1

This is really unusual..as cowbirds usually do not lay 5 eggs in a nest..maybe one or two.  If these are indeed Brown-headed Cowbird eggs...most or all of them will survive and the host chicks will most likely die, especially if the host bird is smaller than the cowbird.  Are these some kind of swallow or perhaps a phoebe.  Both commonly build mud nests on houses or other man made structures.  The only problem is that interfering with this nest is illegal, all native wild birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  Also, if you remove the cowbird eggs, what will you do with the chicks if they do hatch..being in possession of birds themselves, eggs, feathers, nests, etc..are all illegal.  You might want to contact your local US Fish and Wildlife Service for advice, they are the ones that regulate The Migratory Bird Treaty Act law.  Many counties, cities do trapping for Brown-headed Cowbirds..if yours is one of them you may be able to help with this program..that way you will be helping birds legally. I actually work as an ornithologist and am licensed and permitted to remove Brown-headed Cowbird eggs from nests of endangered species..but it took me years of experience to qualify for this permit.

Answer 2

Let your local nature center take them. they won't be harmed. talk to an expert

Answer 3

They probably wont all survive.  but not every egg layed in the wild hatches.  if you try and hatch them yourselves, escpecially if you don't have a good incubator, the successful percent will be lower, unless something happened to the mother bird.